White Wings, Black Hats and Bitter Coffee
by FruitPastilles
Summary: Tsuna was excited to get his first Guardian assignment. Although…he's pretty sure the scary man called Reborn didn't need or want a Guardian Angel…R27. Mature. Oneshot


White Wings, Black Hats and Bitter Coffee

**Summary:** Tsuna was excited to get his first Guardian assignment. Although…he's pretty sure the scary man called Reborn didn't need or want a Guardian Angel…R27. Mature.

* * *

To say Tsuna was glad he had passed his final Guardian exam was an understatement. After being told time and time again he was suited to another angelic duty, such as tending to the Garden of Eden, or perhaps even applying to be a Cupid, he was _ecstatic_ to finally hold the small bronze pin that proclaimed his status as newly appointed Guardian.

When he was given his first assignment less than two weeks later, Tsuna had shouted in complete excitement, prompting his landlord to fondly tell him to shut up even though the old man, a retired Guardian by the name of Timoteo, had smiled brightly for him.

In fact, he was so excited that he had cleaned his wings, combed his unruly locks, and clipped his bronze badge into his hair, as was custom, tucked just behind his ear. The metal was cold against his scalp and he could feel himself buzz, unable to stop himself from hovering off the floor.

Following the instructions of the scroll that proclaimed he had an assignment, he walked briskly and unable to keep the smile off of his face, towards the Head Office where further details would be given. He could already imagine his charge now, a little boy who loved trains and cars and would run around the garden or a sweet little girl who would play with dolls and have them drink tea with her.

Of course, he knew reality would be different. A Guardian Angel was never assigned to healthy or happy people. They took care of the ill, miserable, or those who were a danger to themselves and those around them. It could be an old lady whose husband had passed away and she now had difficult going to the corner shop to buy necessities, or a young boy recovering in hospital after a serious illness.

The possibilities were endless.

By the time he reached the Office he was squirming and wringing his hands almost nervously and when he gave his name to the receptionist, promptly threw himself into a chair as he was told to wait. The room was empty with only him waiting to meet Giotto, Head of Earthly Angel Affairs.

Eventually, a door eased open and a blonde head popped out, keen eyes searching out Tsuna.

Tsuna immediately lurched to his feet, face threatening to split with the wideness of his grin. It was always nice to see his cousin, even if the reason was for business this time. He gleefully floated over when Giotto gestured and sank into a plush chair while waiting for his assignment.

After exchanging a few words of pleasantries and asking after other relatives, Giotto finally handed him an envelope, expression strangely apprehensive.

Tsuna didn't question his cousin's trepidation and ripped the envelope open eagerly, skimming over the details of his first ever Guardian assignment.

The target was a man called Reborn, twenty eight years of age. He had no known family aside from an estranged uncle, lived by himself in America, Philadelphia and consumed an unhealthy amount of coffee on a daily basis. He had no long term injuries, no known sickness, and no allergies.

Why did he need guarding?

Opening his mouth to ask a question, his eyes glanced up to Giotto when the blonde man opposite him waved his hand, causing Tsuna to frown as he closed his mouth.

"It's his occupation," Giotto finally said, sounding exasperated. "He's not meant to die until his late seventies, but somehow he keeps getting hurt. Just little things, but serious enough we have to worry."

"It doesn't say what his job is…"

"We know a lot, but not everything Tsuna. You know we can't watch everyone every hour of the

day, and focusing resources on just one man would raise questions as to why we're wasting a considerable amount of time and energy on him when we could just drop a Guardian on him and have them find out."

Tsuna felt his mouth twitch into a petulant pout. "Did you give me an easy one because it's my first day?"

"It's a Category B," Giotto reassured softly and Tsuna felt his heart leap into his throat. He was new, and new Guardians were given Category D assignments with the occasional C assignments. He was inexplicably glad that Giotto wasn't babying him.

Tsuna couldn't help but slowly set his assignment down and then in a burst of movement, he threw himself over the desk separating them with a flutter of his wings, wrapping his arms around Giotto and laughing happily.

"Thank you, thank you! You're the only one who's ever believed in me!" Tsuna declared, not caring that he was acting out of term by doing this, but Giotto's arms wrapping around him in return dimmed his worries.

"Yes, yes. I know." Giotto laughed quietly, patting Tsuna's back. "Now, haven't you an assignment to get ready for?"

Tsuna pulled himself loose, gave Giotto a wide grin in lieu of a final thanks and darted back over the desk, snatching up his assignment and hotfooting it back to his apartment, barely able to keep himself on the ground because his wings were lifted in delight and were catching updrafts.

He couldn't remember all but flying up the stairs and unlocking his rooms but suddenly he was on his couch, reading over the rest of his assignment, which was slightly crumpled by being held tightly in his clenched hand.

Tsuna made sure to read the file slower than a brief skim of his charge's information.

_Name: Reborn_  
_Age: 28_  
_Occupation: Unknown_  
_Location: America, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia._  
_Noteworthy details: No recent illnesses. No allergies. No life threatening or long term injuries. Drinks an unhealthy amount of coffee over duration of the day. Seems to require less than six hours of sleep. _

_Information For Guardian_

_This Category C assignment requires you to make direct contact with clientele. Dress and act appropriately. Do not act suspiciously. Avoid dangerous situations that would give you away. Always stay vigilant. When not in contact with clientele, resuming Guardian form is advised. When asked personal questions, give true name, no occupation, and an age between twenty and twenty nine._

A second page was stapled underneath the first and Tsuna briefly flipped to it, reading over his living details. He'd have an apartment with the lease pre-emptively paid for a year. The key would be under the mat, and on the kitchen counter would be a card with money on it, along with the pin that would work the card. The apartment would be fully furnished and at the high end of the city.

Tsuna read over the snippets of information again and again, feeling his throat go dry in response to learning that he would have to make contact with this Reborn. He'd had very little practice in being human while learning but hey, what could go wrong?

Turns out, a lot could go wrong.

* * *

Tsuna sneezed for the umpteenth time, pressing his jacket sleeve to his nose and sniffling loudly. He'd gone to Resources and read everything he could on Philadelphia and had prepared himself as thoroughly as possible.

No one had told him being a human was an awful, awful experience. Nobody told him about _rain_ which, at that moment, was falling down in sheets. He'd appeared in a small, unnoticed alley way and was promptly horrified as he had to tiptoe over the body of a homeless man, thankfully alive. The buildings had been offering shelter but as soon as he'd stepped into the road where his instincts had been leading him, he'd been slapped in the face with a waterlogged newspaper which had been caught in the wind that seemed to be a universal companion to rain.

He was miserable and already hated this dumb assignment. He'd probably caught a dozen illnesses by standing in the rain, but at least he was dressed warmly. He could barely see through the downpour but he had seen the dim lights of a café. He quickly scurried across the road, barely avoiding being hit by a car and ducked inside with a huge sigh of relief. The harried, haggard waitress on duty lent him a knowing smile as he plopped down into the nearest seat.

Trying to prevent himself from sneezing once again, Tsuna briefly shook his head and was only slightly amused by the spray of water the motion caused before he discarded the jacket and let it hang over the back of the chair, where the water logged jacket gloomily dripped water on the floor.

The same rushed waitress hurried by and deposited a menu on his table. He barely managed to say thanks before she had darted off again. Apparently, a lot of people had taken shelter from the rain in the snug, warm café. With only one waitress, she must be overworked.

When she spared time for him, she asked in a quiet voice, exhaustion clearly riding her tone, "What'll it be, hon?"

Tsuna briefly let his hand skim hers as she reached to take the menu back off the table. He murmured a sorry, but during the skin contact he sent her positive energy. He then asked for a cup of coffee. He wanted to see why Reborn was so obsessed with the drink.

The waitress, Nicki, her name tag had proclaimed, seemed much brighter after the encounter. She nodded cheerfully, her eyes more aware and awake. Tsuna couldn't help but smile as he watched her, glad he could help, and the pin behind his ear tingled gently.

When she returned with his coffee – she bought little packets that he read as 'sugar' and 'milk' – Tsuna abruptly shivered, a strange tickle of sensation dancing up his spine. He ignored the sensation, tasting his coffee and abruptly gagging at the bitterness before he emptied his sugar packets into the bitter drink, one by one. He knocked the last one off while pretending it was an accident, and leaned down to pick the small packet up. As he straightened in his seat, he let his eyes dart about the café.

A man, nursing a cup in the corner, was staring at him as if he were a particularly interesting specimen under a microscope and Tsuna was hard pressed to stop himself from grinning as he realized he'd already found his charge, Reborn.

A Guardian's instincts were nothing to be scoffed at.

Pleased with himself, Tsuna emptied the last packet into the cup and stirred it vigorously with a spoon that had been apart of the small plate the cup sat on. Taking another sip, he was happier at the sweetness but then decided to add a pot of milk just for the sake of it.

Might as well have a full experience if he was doing this human thing! The only problem was the ache that permeated to his very soul at having to confine his wings. Earth was a mire of problems for unprepared Angels, often dragging them and their wings down through the muck. Being human was safer.

It still hurt.

Reborn was still staring.

* * *

Tsuna asked for a hot chocolate the next time the waitress came round, along with the vegetarian's choice soup. The rain by this time was less heavy and his hair, previously flattened by the weight of the water had dried, springing into its original shape.

The café was emptier because of the lighter rain, the clouds a brighter shade of grey hinting towards the end of this current spat of bad weather. Because of this emptiness, Tsuna was acutely aware of Reborn's presence. The man _had_ to Reborn. His presence resonated within him.

The waitress reappeared by his table and set down his food, and as quiet thanks when he passed her the money in a jingling of coins; he let her have another wave of positive energy with the brush of fingers as he had every time he had the excuse to.

Upon having a sip of hot chocolate, Tsuna was hard pressed not to make an obscene noise. This was _much_ better than coffee in his opinion. The vegetable soup was just as good and when he had finished, he cradled his warm drink in his hands and slumped against the chair, eyes closed.

So, humans had good things about them then. Where he resided, in a little pocket of 'somewhere that wasn't quite here' Angels didn't need to eat. They absorbed everything they needed through the environment around them.

By the time he opened his eyes again, he flinched almost violently and hissed in pain as the warm –still quite hot, actually – hot chocolate spilled over his fingers and he abruptly set the cup down, reaching for the napkins to delicately wipe his poor hands clean.

Another thing he was thankful for was that humans had such dull senses. The burn was nothing more than an unexpected nuisance, but rightly caused because _Reborn was sitting right there opposite him!_

Crumpling the napkins and setting them in the empty bowl that had held the soup, Tsuna picked up his cup again and asked, his tone light and hoping he didn't sound too frightened or happy as both emotions were overwhelming, "Can I ask what you're doing?"

"Sitting." Reborn blandly replied and Tsuna inwardly swooned because that _voice!_

Without breaking eye contact, Reborn flagged the waitress down for a coffee and another hot chocolate which obviously was for Tsuna.

Tsuna felt squiggly and warm inside, smiling around the rim of his current nearly empty and finished drink. This was going to be easier than he thought! Reborn had come to _him_ so he didn't need to convince him to be friends so he could keep an eye on him.

Reborn on the other hand was a little surprised and impressed, though his face stayed finely schooled in a blank expression. Not many people could withstand being stared at him for so long without squirming. He all but exuded an aura of danger, and yet the plucky brunette opposite him did no more than take a drink and smile.

The waitress returned with their drinks and gathered up Tsuna's old cup and bowl. Reborn was just tugging out his wallet when Tsuna leaned over to offer her a handful of coins and notes again, smiling softly up at her through his lashes.

She all but skipped back to the kitchen with the dishes.

Reborn felt the need to let his eyebrow twitch at having someone pay for him but kept his expression bland and took a mouthful of his coffee, the strong bitter flavor suiting his tastes and almost scoffed at Tsuna's noise of disgust.

"But really," Tsuna began while stirring his hot chocolate absently just because he could, "Why are you here?"

"Is it such a crime to sit?"

Tsuna's mouth turned up slightly in a smile. "No. But you obviously knew I was here. And you were sitting in your own place before moving here. There's no need for you to be here."

Reborn leaned close, as if going to share a secret and Tsuna lit up, leaning close too with eyes bright and unassuming, innocent.

"I wanted to be," he murmured, voice low.

Tsuna moved back, mulling over the words Reborn had said when the man opposite him suddenly asked, after taking another sip of his drink, "How old are you?"

"Hmm?" Tsuna almost, _almost_ broke his ruse by giving his true age (three hundred and forty two). "I turned twenty one just recently." He took a mouthful of hot chocolate.

"Twenty one," Reborn repeated, his voice still low and almost husky and then posed such a question that Tsuna choked when he swallowed his drink.

"Want to finish up here and then come back to mine for a quick fuck?"

"_Excuse me?"_ Tsuna spluttered, his face turning such a dark shade of red that he could _feel_ the burn. "I'm sorry – I'm sorry, I don't even know your name!" He'd almost slipped up, almost let Reborn know he knew him.

Reborn took a calm sip of his coffee. "Reborn. Now do you want to leave?"

Tsuna took in a few breaths and rubbed at his cheeks, trying to make them seem less cherry red and more normal red. Finally, he said, "W-Well, Reborn, I don't know who you think I am but I certainly do not accept propositions from near strangers!"

Something in Reborn's expression cracked, frustration seeping through. It was then, suddenly, that Tsuna realized with a cold stone dropping into his stomach, that the café had emptied apart from the two of them.

And then the café windows shattered and a bullet hit Tsuna's shoulder, twisting through skin and flesh to bury itself in bone. Suddenly, his body was on fire. He didn't realize he'd thrown himself in front of Reborn, his Guardian instincts flaring bright as a star.

He _knew_ human bodies weren't as sensitive, he knew this, but the pain was unimaginable. His vision flickered black and then Reborn was pulling a gun out from under his jacket and returning fire and that was when Tsuna realized.

Reborn was trying to get him outside before this had happened.

Consciousness escaped his grasp shortly after.

* * *

Tsuna woke up; just briefly, to the feel of bouncing up and down as strong arms held him aloft in a bridal carry in such a position as to not aggravate his wound. An angry Reborn was muttering, "Don't you dare fucking die on me, I've not had an innocent die in front of me in my decade of this, and I'm not starting now. You fucking _idiot."_

Tsuna remembered whimpering at a particularly harsh jolt and there was a sarcastic laugh above him, Reborn not slowing down in the slightest as he jogged, taking back alleys and quiet corners. Reborn's black jacket was spread across his chest and Tsuna weakly curled his fingers into the soft material, closing his eyes and anxiously waiting for sleep to take the pain back away.

* * *

Tsuna came back to consciousness in a haze of white hot agony, blinking blearily and gasping weakly for breath. Turning his head was an effort but before he could get that far, a hand slammed onto his forehead, forcing his head to press against a hard surface.

"_Fucking stay still, you stupid bastard." _Was hissed at him and Tsuna registered the voice as Reborn's. Then something sharp stabbed into the hole – _there was a hole _– in his shoulder and Tsuna felt every painstaking, excruciating inch that the metal fragment was dragged through to be removed from his body.

He had to get away and he had to get away now because if he didn't, whoever was helping him with Reborn would notice how fast he healed and he couldn't break cover. He couldn't just disappear into his Angel form and never be seen again because then he wouldn't be able to contact Reborn and look after him…

Tsuna woke up again after a few minutes of precious, body numbing nothingness. The hand had left his forehead and there were murmuring voices. He caught snippets of a conversation and was glad to hear the words 'all out of him'.

Swallowing down the pain with no little difficulty, Tsuna sat up and was almost sick as a response. But then his soul was responding and no, no, no his body couldn't do that yet because they'd find out when they came back and saw he had no hole in his shoulder. He had to get out.

He managed to get to his feet and froze as he knocked something metal to the floor with a loud clatter. The argument in the other room was too loud and didn't stop as a result and Tsuna pressed his arm tightly to his side, ignoring the burn and glad for the tightness of the bandages he could feel wrapped around his shoulder. He hobbled to the nearest door and tugged, pleased when it swung easily open. Then he just followed his intuition until he was away and outside.

When he turned around, he saw a dilapidated building with graffiti scrawled across its surface, smashed windows, and grey and bleak looking paint. The building as a whole looked uninviting and discouraging, but considering Reborn had a job that involved extensive _shooting_ _at people and getting shot at_, Tsuna wasn't too terribly surprised.

It took him a few moments to take stock of his surroundings and made sure that no one could see, hear, or sense what he was about to do. When he determined he was safe, he sighed happily.

He promptly left his human body, wings spreading free in a blaze of pleasure, the ache of his shoulder no long present as the wound simply disappeared in the face of divine power.

He felt awful about leaving Reborn so soon. As he drifted lazily into the sky, he watched as the door of the building swing violently open, bouncing against the wall as Reborn burst out onto the asphalt looking around avidly for the young man that was no longer there.

Tsuna was still close enough to see the cold fury on Reborn's face and felt himself tremble slightly, just now starting to question why such a scary, competent man would need a Guardian Angel in the first place.

He almost dropped out of the sky when Reborn suddenly looked up, though thankfully his sharp gaze went through Tsuna and he didn't actually see the Angel hovering no more than fifteen feet above his head.

* * *

Tsuna didn't know what possessed him to return to the café, but after some concentration he found the quaint building, just a five minute flight from where he'd escaped from Reborn. By driving, the drive probably would have been ten minutes, fifteen with traffic and half an hour on foot.

Reborn had cared enough to take him a half hour journey on the off chance he could save his life, and something closed to happiness swelled in Tsuna's chest as he carefully landed inside of the police tape surrounding the café, choosing a patch of pavement not covered in glass.

He picked his way around to walk inside of the building, grimacing at the dried splotch of blood that belonged to him and the scarring of bullet holes on the walls. Making his way through the tables, he was distressed and saddened to see blood and the dark hair of the waitress, Nicki, splattered on one of the walls, obviously a casualty in this war. He took the time to carefully kneel, his hands clasped in prayer, and didn't stand again for a whole five minutes.

Turning around, Tsuna walked back into the main part of the café, fingers trailing against the wall, occasionally catching on the holes caused by bullets and occasionally feeling the cold bite of metal against his fingertips.

He was just about to leave when the flash of black almost hidden by an overturned table caught his eye. It was Reborn's hat. And really, he should leave it. Reborn might come back for the hat; the item might be evidence that some police officer might have missed it…

Two minutes later, Tsuna left the café, hat jammed firmly on his head, though he had to push it out of his eyes every ten seconds. As a precaution, he'd also scrubbed his blood from the floor. He didn't know what details the crimson liquid would give but he didn't want to risk the chance of the results being nothing good.

Letting himself lift into the air just high enough to avoid cars, poles, and pedestrians, Tsuna floated down the various roads and side streets of the bustling city. He watched in delight and awe at the humans scurrying, the large metal vehicles honking, the general construction of the city itself.

Humans were interesting, that was for sure. It was just that he didn't like being one very much. They were heavy, clunky, and didn't take to pain very well.

Being an Angel meant he could swoop, dart, float, and not be affected by anything human as much as if he were one himself. The only thing that could harm him and his soul would be another Angel or a deep, deep dark hatred directed at him in his human form.

Also, getting shot as a human carried the ache over to his shoulder even in this form, even if no injury was visible. The pain would fade through time.

He let the faint winds guide him, the weather mild considering the rain of epic proportions the day before. Soon enough, he gave himself his own direction and alighted on the ground outside of his fancy looking apartment building. Slipping into an alleyway, he dropped his Angelic form and winced as his human form took place.

His shoulder was burning even with no injury present and Tsuna tugged down the collar of his shirt to peer at the white, twisted tissue of a scar. Huh. That was unexpected. He hurried inside instead; worried that someone would catch sight of his ripped, bloody clothes – bullets made a lot of damage after all, aesthetically as well as physically.

Tsuna found the apartment number he needed, on the twenty second floor – so high! – and found the key as stated, under the mat. He opened the door and almost squealed girlishly at the interior of his apartment. It was almost nicer than his own! Who was he kidding, until he gained his silver pin, his accommodations wouldn't change, which meant he had to do this job well and get his own apartment this nice back home.

As his assignment had said, there was a fancy looking credit card in the amazing kitchen that he had no idea how to use. When he cheerfully entered the living room, he noticed the room was fully furnished as promised with leather couches, a flat screen TV, and an empty bookcase that he could fill himself.

Wandering into the bedroom showed a plush, king sized bed and a wardrobe with only a few pair of clothes; he'd buy the rest himself and wouldn't _that_ be fun! But he quickly chose to enter the en suite bathroom instead, taking in the glorious shower and equally glorious bath in the corner.

Fumbling briefly with the buttons, Tsuna managed to get all of his clothes off and stepped into the shower, turning the heat up as high as his human body could stand. There weren't showers where he lived as there was no need for them, and he bathed in its luxury for what must have been several hours.

His fingertips and toes were all strangely shrivelled at the end of the long shower, but they didn't hurt so he assumed the wrinkling of fingers and toes was normal.

Nice and clean, feeling relaxing, Tsuna did the next logical thing.

He pranced around in his new apartment naked as the day he was born (had he been born as a human since Angels weren't exactly born so much as they were made.)

* * *

For the next eight days Tsuna followed Reborn around, floating after him and sometimes, curiously, was determined to muss the black hair that was no longer covered in a hat and instead sat free. It seemed as Reborn didn't want a replacement hat.

Reborn didn't seem to lead that interesting of a life, as far as Tsuna knew. He walked around the city, sometimes entering shops but never buying anything, just engaging light conversation with several people who apparently knew him.

And then oddly enough, Tsuna would lose him, like clockwork at approximately eight every evening and could only find him again at two in the morning, where Reborn had somehow found his way to his apartment. It puzzled and annoyed Tsuna to no end and he often found himself staring at Reborn during the night, perched on the windowsill.

He'd tried sitting on the bed the first day, since it was a double, but Reborn had some crazy sharp instincts, and humans _could_ sense Angelic presences if they knew what they were feeling, and had whipped up a gun from under the pillow already out, eyes staring at where Tsuna would be…if he was human or allowed himself to be visible.

Tsuna almost did let himself become visible but that was breaking Rule Number One and he didn't want to risk that, no sirree.

Reborn had eventually relaxed again but Tsuna resigned himself to sitting on the windowsill.

It wasn't stalkerish at all, it was almost caring and… besides he always left at four in the morning, after making sure Reborn was _definitely_ okay – no wounds or anything – and then would get some sleep because contrary to popular belief, Angels needed _some_ sleep and Reborn would be waking up at eight in the morning and Tsuna needed to be there in time.

Tsuna sighed and stood from his perch, wings sweeping out in a stretch long enough that the tips of them passed through the wall. Reborn's apartment was small!

Yawning softly to himself, Tsuna let himself fall backwards through the window, twisting and then diving towards the floor before swooping up and using the breeze to carry him home. He didn't bother to use the door, just stumbled in through the wall and for ease of comfort, he dropped into his human guise, barefoot and still in pajamas from leaving that morning to follow Reborn.

Tsuna padded into the bedroom, crawling under the covers and setting a human alarm – he trusted himself to get up, but the gentle trill of the clock was welcoming – before curling up, head against the pillow.

His eyes were closed for a long time before he allowed himself to crack one open to peer at the hat sat on the pillows next to him. If he closed his eyes and thought hard enough he could imagine that hat as being Reborn in bed next to him and –

_Whoa! Bit off track there Tsuna!_ Tsuna shook his head violently to chase _those_ thoughts away and rolled over, his back to the offending item. He wanted sleep, not a distraction!

After ten minutes or so he got his wish, drifting peacefully into a state that was more meditation than unconsciousness.

* * *

Tsuna was rudely removed from his mental exercises when there was a persistent hammering of the front door, followed by a few presses of the doorbell. Groaning because he didn't want to get up at…peering at the clock he saw it was six thirty four, Tsuna reluctantly clambered out of the warmth of his bed. He stole the top sheet to wrap around himself so only his head was bare, ignoring he was in danger of tripping over the hem of his makeshift robe.

"All right, all right!" Tsuna called, his voice barely more than a whine as he shuffled towards the door. It took him a few times to fumble the lock over and he pushed the handle down, ready to glare whoever had interrupted his sleep into submission.

Upon seeing Reborn on the other side, he moved to slam the door before he even registered his actions. Unfortunately, Reborn had already neatly placed a foot in the way and was using his superior strength to push his way into the apartment.

Tsuna nervously shut the door and hunched back up into his blankets, wondering how on _earth_ his charge had found him and why was he in his apartment, how did he know where he lived…?

And the last question must have been said out loud because Reborn turned sharply towards him after taking stock of the living room and shoved a crumpled piece of paper into his face.

As if it would snap at him or bite his fingers, Tsuna took the paper and smoothed it out against the wall. His stomach slowly twisted as Tsuna read the details of his housing situation as had been given to him with his assignment. The assignment itself, thank goodness, was still with Giotto.

"It was in the pocket of your jacket that you left behind when you made a run for it." Reborn was looking in the kitchen now. "Thought I'd come see who the fuck you are that you'd leave with an injured shoulder and not look back. What better time to do it than my day off? Nice place. Parents pay for it?"

Tsuna swallowed nervously, tracking Reborn's movements with his eyes and staying, hovering more like in the doorway, ready to bolt if he needed to. When he registered that he'd been asked a question he forced himself to answer which was hard when he felt like his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth.

"Parents," he eventually rasped, agreeing with Reborn because how else could he afford such a

place? The look Reborn gave him was partly amused and Tsuna let himself relax just slightly, the tension still holding his shoulders tight.

With bated breath, Tsuna witnessed as Reborn padded around his apartment with comfortable ease, something that had Tsuna anxious to watch. When the uncomfortable feeling got to be too much, he blurted out, almost unable to help himself, "I'm going to get dressed. Feel free to make yourself, uh, comfortable or whatever."

He dashed for the bedroom, flipping over the lock and almost taking the Creator's name in vain to say thanks for such a simple metal contraption that stopped other people getting inside. Forehead pressed to the wood of the door, Tsuna took in deep breaths that logically he didn't need. He couldn't deny that the exercise made him feel better though.

After some time of calming down, Tsuna set the piece of paper he'd crumpled in his fist onto the dresser and haphazardly threw the sheet back onto the bed. His – unnecessary, really – heart stopped in his chest at catching sight of Reborn's hat. He immediately dove over the bed, accidentally kicked the alarm clock to the floor and snatched up his prize, stuffing the accessory into the wardrobe behind several boxes of shoes to be hidden by the loose clothing he'd had no room to hang.

Tsuna had spent a lot of money just for kicks when he'd gone out, fully dressed, after his first ever shower.

Despite the amount of noise he had made, there was only silence on the other side of the door and Tsuna scrambled to get dressed as quickly as he could, throwing clothes on haphazardly and making sure he looked semi-normal and decent before he slipped back into the living room, eyes darting about to find Reborn who was…

Tsuna felt something in his chest loosen at seeing Reborn, jacket off and sitting on one of the sofas, reading something he had obviously picked off of Tsuna's shelf.

"S-So tell me again why you decided to drop in and visit? At this awful hour?" Tsuna asked, trying for lighthearted and falling abruptly flat as he nervously perched on the arm of an armchair.

"To find the fucking idiot who runs away from the people helping him. I was half expecting to find your body in an alleyway because you'd bled to death." Reborn turned a page calmly, without even peeking up at Tsuna.

Tsuna's hand automatically went to his shoulder, pressing the heel of his palm against the old wound, just about feeling the twisted mess of the scar underneath. When the day was particularly cold or rainy outside, the area ached in a way he couldn't explain regardless if he was as an Angel or not.

"I did the first thing anyone would do after being shot and waking up in a strange place." Tsuna replied, his voice unintentionally sharp. "Who knows, you might have killed me!"

"Maybe I should have." And now Reborn was looking at him, dark eyes inscrutable and searching. Tsuna was irrationally reminded of a jaguar, all lean muscle, coiled, and dangerous.

Reborn was that jaguar and Tsuna was his prey.

"Then you would have left me in that café to bleed to death," Tsuna offered in rebuttal and Reborn's eyes flashed with an unreadable expression as he slowly and carefully closed the book, setting the item down next to him.

"If I had left you there, there was always the chance you would have survived lived long enough to tell people about what had happened to you, to inform the authorities all about the nice chat you had with a stranger in a café where a firefight just happened to break out. You're the last witness in this after all." Reborn unfolded himself from the sofa and Tsuna was suddenly struck by how tall he was.

"You should have killed me when in that building then. Where no one would have seen, heard, or cared that I'd gone missing."

"I wouldn't tempt me." Reborn murmured, voice lowering as he stepped closer and Tsuna felt the urge to run, to escape. "Keep making sense and I just might have to do something."

Tsuna lifted his chin defiantly and inquired, "And you're sure you have the gall to kill me anyway? Is murdering part of your job description or something?"

Something lit up in Reborn's eyes as he walked even closer and Tsuna felt a strange feeling pool in his stomach and settle down, warm and tight.

"Well, I do suppose it is." Reborn was close enough that Tsuna had to tilt his head back to make eye contact, closer than they ever were in the café and Tsuna could see that Reborn's eyes weren't black but a deep, deep brown. As dark as the coffee he drank.

Tsuna tried several times, unsuccessfully, to swallow the lump in his throat and licked his lips. He watched as Reborn lazily tracked the movement with his eyes, one hand reaching out to brace himself on the back of the armchair right next to Tsuna's head.

"So, you kill people for a living." Tsuna had to lick his lips again. "Does that mean you have to get rid of me now that I know?"

"Perhaps. But I've never enjoyed an easy target." Tsuna almost flinched back as Reborn suddenly reached out to settle his hand against the side of Tsuna's face, pressing his thumb to Tsuna's bottom lip.

"Though, I wasn't lying when I said I wouldn't mind a quick fuck. Or a long one. Or a slow one."

Unbidden Tsuna parted his lips , letting Reborn catch the inside of his bottom lip with his thumb gently, pulling the soft flesh down to a pout.

"I'd put that smart mouth of yours to _very_ good use as well." He switched his thumb for his forefinger and middle finger and Tsuna sucked them into his mouth just as readily, feeling the warmth in his stomach tighten even further. There was an uncomfortable sensation below his waist that Tsuna couldn't put his finger on, but it made him squirm.

"I'd make you scream yourself hoarse but unfortunately, we're strangers. I don't even know your name." And here Reborn's voice took on a slight mocking quality, mimicking Tsuna from their first meeting.

Something suddenly clicked and Tsuna leaned just slightly back, raising an eyebrow as he asked, voice just slightly husky, "Are you trying to use sex as an excuse to get something from me?"

Reborn was a black blur of movement and there was suddenly the cold metal of a gun barrel pressed under his chin and Tsuna took care to even breathe carefully.

Tsuna didn't break eye contact with the man opposite and towering over him, and wondered if he should have flinched when faced with a gun. The reaction seemed the human thing to do. Of course, though, he wasn't human.

"If you wanted to know my name," Tsuna began, voice level. "You could have asked. If I tell you my name is Tsunayoshi, Tsuna for short, will you please take that thing out of my face?"

"Who are you working for?" Reborn murmured, voice low in a way that was dangerous and much less likeable in Tsuna's opinion.

Tsuna took in a slow breath. "I don't have a job right now. I am looking for work, can't take money from my parents forever."

The gun pressed harder into Tsuna's chin and Tsuna took in a slow breath, closing his eyes. He wouldn't die. He wouldn't be able to show up to Reborn as a human anymore but that wasn't critical. He'd have to do his job without being in contact with him. And that thought hurt.

"That wasn't what I meant. Who are you working for? Don't play games with me. Is it Millefiore?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Reborn."

"How did you know I would be in that café?"

"I was getting out of the rain. I'm still learning the city. I only moved here recently." Tsuna took in another breath and opened his eyes, watching Reborn placidly.

"You're used to having a gun in your face." Reborn noted, coldly, and Tsuna felt his mouth twitch slightly as if he wanted to smile.

"Not for reasons you're thinking about, I'm sure. Military family." That wasn't strictly true but the explanation wasn't a lie either. Tsuna's entire family had either become Guardian Angels or Holy Protectors. Holy Protectors being those who kept the sanctity of their home safe.

Something in the lines of Reborn's shoulders relaxed. "Military yourself?"

"Done training for it, haven't gone out yet. Simulations." Tsuna was trying not to fumble his words because it was _rude_ and _wrong_ to lie to your contract.

Reborn shoved a hand into his pocket and then pushed something into Tsuna's face. It was a symbol, but nothing Tsuna could make sense of. Whatever Reborn read in his expression made him lower the gun and then replace the contraption, safety on, at the small of his back before tucking the emblem away too.

Tsuna felt himself relax as well, and only when he lowered his hands to his lap did he realize he was trembling from the foreign chemical of adrenalin rushing through his veins and making him restless. When an Angel took on a human body, the body had to be realistic.

To be honest, he was glad the gun was gone. There were some parts of a human body he couldn't enjoy without risk of exposure in his Angel form.

Tsuna lifted one of his hands after a moment, still shaking, to rub against his neck where the cold bite of gun metal had touched his skin. He was startled when Reborn grabbed his wrist, pulling his hand away and cupping another hand at the back of his head, fingers tangling roughly in the hair there.

And then Tsuna didn't know how to feel because _Reborn was suddenly kissing him._

Tsuna scrambled to get away, free hand shoving and all but clawing at Reborn to get away. But the taller man wasn't relenting, instead nipping at his bottom lip and _oh dear_ was that _tongue?_

Weakly tangling his fingers in Reborn's jacket, Tsuna more or less just held on, feeling his eyelids droop and his lungs burn for the air they didn't need but complained for anyway. He let Reborn keep a hold of his wrist, let him force his head back to deepen the kiss. Tsuna couldn't do anymore than gasp for breath when Reborn finally pulled away.

Tsuna felt his cheeks heat up and watched as Reborn swiped his bottom lip with a thumb, a smirk curving his mouth almost infuriatingly. Even as Tsuna felt the questions bubbling, Reborn was leaning in close again, letting go of Tsuna's hand and bracing on the chair next to him again instead.

His common sense seemed to kick in all at once when Reborn's breath ghosted against his mouth and he immediately jerked back, falling into the cradle of the arm chair, legs still slung over the arm of the seat. He stared up at Reborn, breath catching in his throat at the look he was receiving.

Tsuna prided himself on not stuttering the next handful of words as he mumbled, "What was that for?"

"We're two attractive people. We should go ahead and do what attractive people do in situations like this."

"We barely know each other!" Tsuna scrambled to get into a proper sitting position, tucking his legs underneath him so he was knelt on the seat, still gazing Reborn. His lips still felt warm and he couldn't help the fleeting touch of fingertips against them.

He felt like he was going to burst out of his skin and that would be a bad thing to show off in such a situation. Swallowing heavily, and eyeing the way Reborn watched his Adam's apple bob, Tsuna waited for an answer.

"So that conversation we shared in the café was nothing?" Reborn asked, mock hurt in his tone as he pressed a hand over his heart. "And here I thought we were on to something special."

"All I know about you is that you're called Reborn and regularly get caught in firefights! You also, apparently, carry a gun on social visits!"

Reborn smirked again, pressing his hands to the arm of the chair and leaning in close, staying irritatingly quiet.

"Well…" he eventually drawled. "I know you're name is Tsuna. You're twenty one years old. And apparently you can take a bullet very well."

Tsuna stared up at him warily and questioned rather apprehensively, despite knowing anyway, "What's your age then?"

"Twenty eight." Reborn's smirk stretched and he reached forward to catch his fingers in Tsuna's choice of shirt between two of the buttons, tugging him forward in an action Tsuna willingly let himself follow.

Then without preamble, Reborn gave a sudden yank of his arm which caused the shirt to rip open. Tsuna didn't have enough time or preparation to think about hiding his decidedly uninjured shoulder, something that Reborn's eyes focused on instantly with his expression turning frighteningly flat.

When Reborn let go, Tsuna scrambled to shove his shirt back into place, swallowing tightly and staring wide eyed in horror up at Reborn. His career as a Guardian was going to evaporate after this failure of an assignment. He'd never get a job again. He was exposed.

He was crying.

Tsuna was startled when he felt the warm sensation against his cheeks. His hand flickered up to touch his cheek even as he refused to break eye contact with Reborn, convinced the warm liquid was blood and that Reborn had shot him in the head even though there had been no noise or gun shown.

Reborn looked only mildly uncomfortable by his tears, shuffling on the spot, even with his flat, serious face. He grabbed Tsuna's shoulders, only briefly grimacing at the flinch of panic Tsuna gave.

Tsuna let himself go lax as Reborn pulled him to his feet, didn't even try to stop him as he pushed the shirt out of the way, down small shoulders, until the article of clothing dropped to the floor. He twitched when Reborn's calloused fingers touched the still sensitive scar, tracing the ridges and twists of it.

He knew what Reborn was thinking, that a wound didn't heal that quickly, that something was going on, that there should still be a gaping _hole_ in Tsuna's shoulder but instead there was a mass of jaggedly healed tissue.

"How?" Reborn asked, the question not sharp or accusing, just simply curious, fingers still pressed to the scar, trailing around the broken circle of it.

Tsuna felt his breath hitch as he tried not to sob or whimper in panic, simply whispering, "I'm not allowed to say. It's impossible for me to put such an explanation into words for you."

"Don't be ridiculous. Tell me. I have a right to know, considering I saved you from that wound."

"This was a bullet meant for you," Tsuna said quietly, lifting his own hand to his shoulder. Surprisingly, Reborn let Tsuna press down on his hand against his skin. "I got in the way."

"Another question I want answered," Reborn replied, voice low and eyes intent. He swept a hand through his hair, obviously aiming to pull off a hat that wasn't there. "Why _did_ you do that?"

"I can't say." Tsuna murmured sadly. "It's…it's a very important oath I made. One I can't break, or people could get hurt."

"You took a bullet for me," Reborn repeated Tsuna's words, voice barely above a whisper. "And you aren't going to let me know why?"

Tsuna closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at Reborn, scrubbing his hands over his head, clenching his fingers uselessly in his hair. Nothing, _nothing_ in his training had prepared him for this kind of situation. There was nothing he could do. He either let Reborn work it out or for all intents and purposes, disappear off the face of the earth.

He raked his mind for the rules, repeating them over and over. And then, quietly, he murmured, "If you want to know, then you need to shoot me. K-Kill me."

Tsuna grimaced at the twitch – almost a flinch – of the hand on his shoulder. And then Reborn relaxed and dropped his hand away, sighing heavily as he muttered, "I don't want to know bad enough that I'd shoot a kid for the purposes of killin' him."

Tsuna felt himself breathe again, lifting his head and opening his eyes to meet Reborn's placid gaze.

"I'm going to be here more often to catch you out though," Reborn added, straightening absently and running his hand through his head again, giving a slight facial tic at the lack of hat.

Unbidden, Tsuna blurted, "I, uh, have your hat. I mean, if you want it back…?"

The look Reborn gave him was equal amounts amusement and interest as he asked, "And how did you come about getting my hat?"

Tsuna wriggled and muttered, almost under his breath, "I, um…thought you might not want any evidence on the scene before they got it. I cleaned up my blood too, so, um…"

"So where is it?"

Tsuna jerked his head to the bedroom door and Reborn chuckled, leaning into his personal space and asking, voice husky, "Is this a ploy to get me in the bedroom? My, you're a sneaky one…"

It was with a heated face, Tsuna vehemently denied Reborn's accusation, and was rewarded with Reborn laughing – actually _laughing_ – at him. Before he got distracted by the sound he quickly made his way to the bedroom, digging the hat out from under the avalanche of clothes he'd hidden it in before.

Presenting the hat to Reborn, Tsuna was gifted with another kiss, Reborn's hand tugging at the hair at the back of his head as he licked at the roof of Tsuna's mouth. His other hand slipped around Tsuna's waist, his large, warm palm curling around Tsuna's ribcage while his fingers dug in _just_ right.

Tsuna whimpered softly, leaning into the kiss before Reborn laughed softly and leaned away, pulling at Tsuna's soft hairs and nipping at his top lip before he snatched the hat and placed it on his head. He left with a soft murmur of, "I'll see you soon."

Tsuna tucked his hands by his neck, wondering why his heart was suddenly so tight in his chest.

* * *

Contrary to his words, Reborn did not in fact 'see him soon'. Tsuna saw him first, two days later as he resumed his habitual following of the other man to make sure he remained safe.

Seventeen days after the apartment meeting, Tsuna finally managed to follow him after eight in the evening and Tsuna discovered to his absolute horror, what Reborn's job actually was.

Reborn was a _hitman_ and that was awful because that meant he was throwing his life on the edge of a cliff every day of his life and risking everything based on whether or not a bullet hit him. That was a _terrifying _thought, and Tsuna stuck to him more like glue than he had before because what if he got _shot?_

He was probably alarming Reborn's subconscious, with how close he hovered, with how he was bare inches away from the others suit, the clothes pressed tight to Reborn's skin, stuck to him whether by rain, blood (not his, not his), or sweat. Sometimes Tsuna couldn't help but ghost his fingers over a shoulder every now and then to confirm Reborn was well and _alive._

Tsuna didn't get much sleep over the next handful of weeks, leading to almost a month, but he didn't really need the rest. Sleeping was a luxury he couldn't afford. Not now that he had even a clue about Reborn's life. About the danger he went through every night except, oddly enough, Saturday evenings.

On Saturday evenings Reborn would sit in his tiny apartment, take apart his arsenal of guns and then clean them methodically, perfectly. Tsuna would observe from wherever he was perched as Reborn did this one routine. And then he would watch as Reborn stripped to just his boxers and began applying medical care to any scrapes and grazes Tsuna hadn't helped prevent during the week.

When it got to the point where Reborn was less wary of his presence, Tsuna would sometimes – just sometimes, mind you! – reach out and brush fingers over bare skin, feeling more than seeing as cuts under bandages inched a little further towards fully healed and as the more painful wounds settled.

Tsuna loved this job and hated it at the same time. He knew that sometimes Guardians would fail, that their charges would ultimately die and no intervention could stop that, that their death was meant to be. Even the thought of that though made Tsuna's throat constrict, made his eyes burn with tears he couldn't cry.

He just didn't want Reborn to die. Whether this was a side effect of being a Guardian or that he just genuinely cared, he didn't know or care. He just…wanted Reborn to stay safe and happy and live his life.

That was what he told himself as he threw himself – human or the bullet would pass through – between Reborn and a hidden gunner, watched the surprise and horror twist Reborn's face. Then Tsuna closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and…

Didn't let the breath back out.

* * *

It was meant to be a routine sweep. Sure, he worked as a hitman for an occupation, but when someone offered stone cold cash to do such a simple job, Reborn wasn't going to turn the money down. It didn't matter how well off he was, you could always do better.

It wasn't often there was a scrap between territories, but apparently today was an aftermath of one of those occurrences. Picking off the rats, taking out the trash. Any sort of shitty metaphor for killing a person because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time because of some stupid ideal they believed in.

Reborn spat out the stub of the cigarette he had been smoking, grinding the red glow under his heel. He didn't normally smoke, but after a particularly satisfying job, little work with big pay, or particularly fantastic sex, he'd indulge himself.

A check of his 10mm. showed that he hadn't even needed to use half the clip. To be fair, he'd snapped more necks than he'd shot bullets; waste not, want not or however the saying went.

He was going to call the day done, call it a night and go home and sleep. Maybe even have a quick wank to the pretty face of the kid – adult really – that he'd met and that he'd gotten hard for pretty damn quick, that he could feel his withered little heart beat for, when that same person on his thoughts suddenly appeared in front of him and there was the unmistakable sound of a gun discharging.

The kid – _Tsuna_ – fucking _smiled_ and then there was a spray of blood from the back of his head and he crumpled down. Reborn realized that he'd taken a bullet meant for _him_ again and he didn't even glance up as his arm lifted and he fired two shots in quick succession, followed by the muffled thump of a heavy body hitting the floor.

Still in shock, not entirely sure what had happened, Reborn stared down at the body in front of him and realized that Tsuna hadn't been shot in the back of the head, but the neck and was bleeding out. Some quiet hysterical part of his mind told him to administer basic First Aid, to stop the bleeding. The louder, more hysterical part of him, told him Tsuna was dead.

The body on the floor burst upwards in a near blinding display of white light and when the light settled Tsuna was stood there with a distinct lack of body on the floor and…

Reborn was pretty sure he was hallucinating because there were goddamn _wings_ sticking out of Tsuna's back, ridiculously wide, pure white, less like bird wings and more something ethereal.

It was an automatic reaction to reach out his arms when Tsuna – what the fuck was he? – tipped forward, still smiling even as his eyes fluttered closed. When the body hit his arms, warm, heavy, and soft, Reborn felt something in him settle down and he no longer felt nauseous.

He also couldn't help burying his fingers in feathers, the texture indescribable and incredible. And then the rational thoughts kicked in and he swaddled Tsuna in his jacket before picking him up less than gently now that he was pissed off at this monumental secret and at himself for not realizing something this huge.

It seemed more logical to go to Tsuna's apartment than his own and he felt no qualms, when he got there, about picking the lock, walking through to the bedroom with the impressive bed on which he dumped Tsuna, still in the jacket, before immediately checking over his neck.

There was an angry red scar on the lower right hand side of his neck, a probing of the skin showed the bullet was gone somehow, and that at the angle there must have been damage to the spinal cord.

By all rights, Tsuna should have been dead. Instead he sprouts wings and fucks Reborn's night up beyond recognizable.

Almost automatically, robotic like, Reborn stripped down and unabashedly stole pajamas from the wardrobe that looked far too big for Tsuna and even hung on Reborn's frame. Then, in clean clothes now, he took his jacket back to throw in the corner before he started methodically undressing Tsuna. He was unsure on how the wings worked but glad that the shirt Tsuna was wearing seemed to just pass through them.

Tsuna's trousers came off just as easily and Reborn hesitated as his fingers hovered over clean white boxers before he shook his head and just tore back the covers and climbed into the bed after making sure Tsuna was also under the ridiculously soft sheets.

He was just ready to drift off when Tsuna mumbled softly, head twisting his way weakly, "R-Reborn?"

Reborn glared down at him and Tsuna cringed away, flinching at the look on his face and then moaning weakly in pain, cursing softly under his breath as his hand moved to his neck.

"This isn't over, _Tsuna."_ Reborn hissed. "You're going to tell me what the _fuck_ is going on. But first, you're going to sleep because wings or not, you just got shot point blank practically in the fucking _head _so shut up, close your eyes, and go to sleep."

Then Tsuna honest to god whimpered, buried his face between pillow and Reborn's shoulder, and did what he was told. Reborn didn't even berate him for the skinny arm that slipped over his waist, deciding that if he'd been shot in the back of the head, he'd want comforting too.

This still wasn't over though.

Tsuna woke up – waking up wasn't really true though, he hadn't slept – and stretched lazily, twisting into the warmth he could feel pressing against his side. He pleasurably stretched his wings and didn't even question the hand carding through his hair. That was, until the hand rested on the nape of his neck, fingers digging into the recent scar which was still tender. Tsuna groaned in pain and at the sensitivity the digging fingers brought.

Peering out of his bangs, Tsuna came face to shoulder with someone. Just, someone. Tilting his head up, Tsuna made eye contact with Reborn and with that act everything came rushing back. He tried to scramble back but Reborn's hand on his neck dug in a little deeper and Tsuna shuddered.

"Mind filling me in on the details?" Reborn sounded pleasant enough but Tsuna, still making direct eye contact, tried not to whimper at the anger in his eyes.

"About what?"

Tsuna realized that was the wrong question to ask when Reborn's eyes darkened and the hand moved from the back of his neck to bury in the base of his left wing. Tsuna gasped, arching from the bed as pleasure sparked throughout his body, twitching in the aftermath because wings were sensitive and they were for _those _special people and Reborn had taken his hand back _entirely too soon._

"About those." Reborn sounded less angry and more amused now. Tsuna opened his eyes, unsure when he'd closed them.

"O-Oh…" Tsuna swallowed weakly, licking his lips absently as he trembled for a few more minutes. "I, uh, suppose I have to tell you. I'm your…your Guardian Angel?" He posed his answer as a question, as if unsure himself and Reborn gave him an unimpressed look.

"That's your explanation?"

Tsuna felt indignation then, drawing himself up, but Reborn simply brushed fingers through his wings again and Tsuna was a shuddering, shaky mess on the bed, half sprawled across Reborn's lap by this point.

"I was only joking. Only an idiot, or, in this case, a Guardian Angel, would take two bullets for someone."

Tsuna grumbled at him but then an unholy smile crossed Reborn's face and then both hands were combing through his wings; fingers deft, quick, and perfect from his gun care and Tsuna could feel something tight welling in his stomach, twisting and turning until he couldn't hold it any more and he arched against Reborn with a wanton moan. His hand jerked down to his groin, wondering briefly at what had just happened and then blushing at the wet patch.

Reborn looked absolutely delighted, asking with his voice low, "Did you come from just that?" He sounded gleeful, impressed, and aroused all in one and Tsuna couldn't help but gasp, "That's cheating."

Something lit up in Reborn's eyes and then suddenly Tsuna felt himself being pressed into the bed, wings spread out on either side of him, tips fluttering weakly against the floor.

Reborn's hand in his boxers was entirely too much, too sensitive, and Tsuna twitched and grumbled.

Tsuna let Reborn straddle him because it gave him the perfect spot to watch as Reborn stripped off his pajama top, showing a taut stomach and abs that Tsuna couldn't help but touch, fingers dragging against warm skin gently.

Reborn shifted to drag down Tsuna's boxers, fingers brushing up his length briefly with an amused smile crossing his face at the sticky mess already there.

Tsuna said, with more conviction, "Yeah. Laugh it up."

Reborn rolled his eyes and then lifted to slip down the pants he was wearing, feeling strangely inadequate all of a sudden from baring himself in front of _holy shit an Angel!_ But Tsuna reached out with that same desperate curiosity, fingers dragging up the underside of Reborn's arousal and Reborn bit back a grin at Tsuna's expression.

"Not what you were expecting?" Reborn asked and Tsuna looked up at him, eyes wide as he questioned, voice almost breathless, "Can I use my mouth?"

Reborn leaned down to kiss him first, thoroughly and dirty and going even further to suck marks into the pale skin of Tsuna's throat. He was immeasurably satisfied that despite Tsuna's obvious healing abilities, the red almost purple bruises stayed. And then he pulled away, moving to settle against the headboard, thighs spread and Tsuna, almost with the ease of someone those done this before, settled between them.

A hesitant hand reached out to just give a teasing touch again and before Reborn could gripe at him to hurry on, Tsuna leaned down to give short, soft licks to the tip of Reborn's erection while his other hand steadied on Reborn's hip.

Tsuna needed a little guidance that Reborn readily gave, almost giddy with the thought he was defiling an _Angel_, but then Tsuna was sucking on the head of his length and apparently, Angels had no gag reflex, something that Reborn groaned at when he discovered. Long fingers buried in brown hair, pushed him down and Tsuna just glimpsed up at him through delicate lashes.

Reborn tugged him off, relishing in the soft pop as he was let go and telling Tsuna in a throaty voice, "Next time, I'm going to come from your mouth alone." He reached to press his thumb to Tsuna's lower lip, who bashfully gazed up at him, cheeks stained a cherry red.

"Why don't you now?" Tsuna asked, voice rough, as he licked gently at the thumb at his mouth. Reborn grinned slightly before settling Tsuna to the side against the pillows and stood, walking towards the pile of clothes in the corner where his were waiting.

Pulling out a packet of lube and after some brief thought, a condom, Reborn returned to the bed, nudging Tsuna's legs apart and then grabbing his ankles before dragging him down the bed, he murmured, "Because I'm going to come while fucking you."

Tsuna showed some hesitance which worried Reborn for a moment, but all Tsuna asked was, "S-Should I change?"

"Change?" Reborn inquired and watched, close up, concentrating, as the shift happened. The ethereal glow around Tsuna disappeared, the almost orange glow of his eyes dampened to brown and then it was just Tsuna there, beautifully human.

"Mm, that'll do fine," Reborn murmured in response before Tsuna could ask again, settling in the crook of his hips as he tore open the lube and squeezed some on his fingers and then some against Tsuna's entrance, unable to help the soft chuckle that left him at the twitch Tsuna gave along with the mutter of, 'Cold!'.

"Tell me if this hurts." Reborn pressed the first finger in slowly, gently, and Tsuna made an unsure face, foot sliding to bend his leg at the knee as he tried to adjust. Reborn pushed his second finger in after the first shortly after, and Tsuna tried to shift to adjust again.

Reborn just waited patiently for him and when Tsuna nodded, crooked his fingers this way and that before he suddenly managed to brush the spot in Tsuna that made him give a choked gasp and suddenly reach for Reborn, fingers scrabbling at his back as he obligingly lifted his hips to Reborn's hand.

"S'that good?" Reborn hummed, clearly pleased, as he pressed his fingers again and again to Tsuna's prostate with unerring accuracy.

Tsuna nodded briefly, one hand dropping to fist in the bed covers as Reborn slowly separated his fingers to stretch Tsuna, letting a third finger edge in with little resistance.

"You ready?" Reborn spread his fingers one more time and Tsuna arched almost desperately with a breathless, _"Yes."_

Reborn broke open the condom, careful in rolling it down his length before he liberally covered himself in the rest of the lube, making sure he was good and slick before he pressed against Tsuna's entrance.

Unprompted, Tsuna lifted an arm to curl around Reborn's neck, tugging him down for a breathy kiss, almost unintelligible murmuring, "Wanted to do this for a while, a good while, didn't think I could, didn't know you…didn't know you'd want to as well and…" he tapered off into a moan, leg lifting to hitch around Reborn's waist, heel digging into the base of Reborn's spine.

Reborn pressed his face to Tsuna's neck, hands moving so one was holding Tsuna's hip, the other braced on the thigh around his waist as he pushed further in, Tsuna arching almost desperately towards him.

"Y-You there?" Tsuna whispered, stumbling over his words as his free arm sprawled over his eyes.

"Mmhmm." Reborn moved his hand from Tsuna's hip to hitch his other leg around him waist, coaxing him to keep them there as he lifted his face and braced his arms next to Tsuna's head, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth before he pulled out and rocked back in, slow enough to make Tsuna sob softly.

"T-That all you got?" Tsuna whispered and Reborn relished in the moan Tsuna gave when he snapped his hips in roughly, Tsuna's arm jerking so he could scrabble blunt nails at the back of Reborn's neck.

Reborn kept a harsh pace then, pulling Tsuna into an easily agreeable kiss, moving his other hand to wrap around Tsuna's length, jerking it off with gentle tugs and sharp twists in rhythm with his hips. It was less than a handful of minutes later before Tsuna was twitching and whimpering as he came in Reborn's palm, hand moving to grip Reborn's hair tightly.

Reborn moved his hands to Tsuna's hips, uncaring of the stickiness, and rocked in a few more times at his own pace before he leaned down to dig his teeth into Tsuna's shoulder, pressing in deep as he let go to his orgasm.

Suddenly tired and lethargic, Reborn pulled out, tied off the condom and sloppily tossed it towards the corner, taking care to wipe down Tsuna and himself with the articles of clothing left before sprawling out on the bed, allowing Tsuna to curl into his side in the afterglow with his cheeks still beautifully flushed red.

The urge to smoke was overwhelming, but Reborn let his arm wrap around Tsuna's shoulders, holding him close and drumming his fingers thoughtfully against bare skin.

"So, how long do you run this Guardian gig?"

"Until you're out of danger," Tsuna mumbled, sleepily, one of his hands scratching at his neck where the scar was.

"Well, what if I'm never out of danger?" Reborn asked smugly, arm tightening absently. "I'm giving an educated guess here, but my need for a Guardian is my occupation?"

"Mmhmm." Tsuna nodded quietly, nuzzling against his shoulder.

"Theoretically, you could stay until the end of my life, huh?"

Tsuna lifted his head absently, squinting at him tiredly as he asked, "What're you on about?"

Reborn's smile widened, almost obnoxiously, and said, "I'm going to start moving in this weekend. Want to help me?"

Tsuna blinked for a few minutes before a lazy smile crossed his face and he rolled until he was settled on Reborn's front, arms resting around his neck.

"How long are you staying for?"

Reborn kissed his nose, gently, absentmindedly.

"For as long as you're my Guardian and I'm yours, I believe."

* * *

This is the longest damn thing I've ever written and it's all for a R27 one shot that ended in halfhearted smut. Do I feel bad about it? Not at all. I hope you enjoyed it and didn't mind the lacklustre ending.

Well, here you go!

11,000 (Less than fifty away from 12,000 actully) words of random plot to lead into mediocre lemon stuff.

HUGE BIG THANKS TO THE PERSON WHO BETA'D THIS, BOOKLOVER2526


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